Monday, November 28, 2016

Cattle Growers/Purina Mills’ Scholarship Deadline Approaching
November 1, 2016, is the deadline to apply for the annual scholarships awarded by Purina Mills and the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association’s (NMCGA’s) Young Cattlemen’s Leadership Committee (YCLC).
“We are pleased to be able to offer these scholarships once again, and appreciate Purina Mills and our Allied Industries Committee making it possible,” said Pat Boone, NMCGA President, Elida. “We have some great young people in New Mexico agriculture, and want help them as much as possible as they look to the future.”
The $1,000 Purina Mills scholarship will be awarded to a New Mexico student who is a member of the NMCGA, the New Mexico Junior Cattle Growers Association, or the child of an NMCGA member. Graduating high school seniors, and college freshmen, sophomores and juniors in good academic standing are eligible to apply for the award. In addition, the Young Cattlemen’s Leadership Committee and the Allied Industries Committee will also be presenting two $500 scholarships – one to a high school senior and one to a continuing college student – at this same time.
“College can be very expensive for students and their families. We are pleased to be able to offer these scholarships and encourage all eligible students to apply,” Boone said. “We want to help NMCGA members and their families continue their education and hopefully return to the agriculture business.”
The three scholarships will be presented to the top three applicants during the Joint Stockmen’s Convention slated for December 1 through December 4, 2016 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Albuquerque.
For more information please contact the NMCGA office at 505.247.0584 or via email at nmcga@nmagriculture.org.

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Depending on whether it’s a higher- or lower-income year, farmers or ranchers may consider altering their retirement plans or putting family members on the payroll to improve tax and income situations, says Tina Barrett, executive director, Nebraska Farm Business Inc.
NFB is an independent company spun off from University of Nebraska Extension. It now has private clients who need help with taxes, estate planning and financial analysis.
“In a year like this, there are things you can do to reduce taxes owed,” she says. “If money has been put into a traditional retirement plan in years of high profit, you can’t remove it without penalties — but perhaps some of that money can be moved to a Roth IRA, which allows the money to grow tax-free. The amount that is rolled into a Roth IRA is taxable income but could offset losses in a low-income year.”
When cattle or crop prices turn around and tax burdens increase, it may be time to pay family members for their labor. “You must pay a reasonable wage for the work done,” Barrett says.
“For example, you can't pay a 2-year-old $10,000 per year to help around the farm. But many kids do considerable work around the operation and can be compensated. This expense reduces your farm income and could be tax-free if their total income is under the standard deduction.
“This also gives the kids earned income that they could contribute to a Roth IRA. These funds can be used to pay for college expenses but are not looked at for federal financial aid purposes,” she says.
Of course, many spouses do much of the farm or ranch work. “Paying your spouse is another option to consider,” Barrett says. “While this doesn't create the tax savings that paying your children can, it may mean we can create an employee relationship that you can provide with benefits.”
There can be tax questions if a farm or ranch has Affordable Care Act, or “Obamacare,” health insurance coverage. “So it’s important to consult a tax professional about your unique situation before implementing any of these plans,” Barrett says.

Beck joins NMSU as State 4-H Department leader
DATE: 11/08/2016
WRITER: Shelby N. Herrera, 575-646-5368, dancin4h@nmsu.edu
CONTACT: Stephen Beck, 575-646-1157, sbeck@nmsu.edu
The new, New Mexico State University 4-H Department Head started began his new job in mid September, and hopes to continue and build on the success of the program.
Originally from Oklahoma, Stephen Beck has been involved in the 4-H program for 20 years as a parent, 4-H agent, 4-H specialist and now department head. Beck said that his role will largely be assisting county agents in order to help their county programs support their county programs. This will help insure that NM 4-H continues to be one of the most successful youth development programs in the nation.
Beck said he feels at home at New Mexico 4-H. He said that it feels very similar to Oklahoma 4-H, and the people are warm and friendly, making him excited to be working for the program.
Majoring in Agriculture Education, Beck graduated from Oklahoma State University with his B.S. in 1991, with the intention of eventually teaching agriculture education. After graduation, he worked for a corporate hog farm for six years, but Beck wanted to work directly with people. Beck took an agriculture/4-H job at the Harper County Extension Office in rural Oklahoma. He was originally interested in the agricultural side and working with the producers, but Beck said he fell in love with the 4-H program and working with 4-H families. After nine years, Beck took a position in another county, where he could be a full time 4-H educator. He served there for three years.
Beck then began his job as an Oklahoma Cooperative Extension 4-H Specialist, where he oversaw the companion animal program, the camping program, the outdoor adventures program and the State 4-H Officers. These jobs led him to his new position as NM 4-H Department Head.
“I want to see New Mexico 4-H continue to be a successful program having the positive impact that it’s had in the lives of so many youth,” Beck said. “But at the same time I want to look for opportunities to expand 4-H programming and new strategies to introduce 4-H to underserved audiences.”
Realizing that a lot of the youth they are missing live in more urban areas, Beck said they have to do something to spur their interests in the 4-H program.
Beck attended his first large New Mexico State 4-H event in September. The State 4-H Rodeo Finals were held the Sept. 23-25 in Albuquerque, where the top competitors from across the state competed for a champion title. Beck said he believes the event went well and he was impressed by skills of the 4-H members.
4-H is the Youth Development Program of New Mexico State University. For more information about 4-H or how to join contact the New Mexico State 4-H Office at 575-646-3026 or visit http://aces.nmsu.edu/4h/

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Summer is here, kids are out of school, and if they participate in 4-H, FFA or junior breed association activities, chances are they’ve been busy this month washing, leading and working on their show calves in preparation for upcoming shows.
I love the life lessons that kids learn from showing cattle; however, with the intense competition also comes those parents and kids who might be willing to step over the line of integrity in order to win.
This is not only wrong, but it’s unacceptable when it comes time to slaughter these market beef animals. At the end of the day, we are teaching kids to raise a safe, nutritious beef product, and that should always be at the forefront of parents’ mind and be kept at a higher priority than winning and losing.Of course, sometimes mistakes can be made, too, so it’s not always an ulterior motive that creates problems with show animals. It’s important for everyone — from the novice beginner showman to the experienced, highly-motivated veteran — to be aware of packer issues and work to negate them.
Heidi Carroll, South Dakota State University Extension livestock stewardship associate, recently shared information presented in a webinar by Paula Alexander, Tyson project manager for sustainable food production and food safety quality assurance, about the specific challenges packers face when handling show animals at the plant.
Alexander said show animals pose five general packer challenges including:
1. Residue sampling increases
“Product may be held if positive for further testing and additional tracking in plant, which could result in the loss of product if it tests positive,” says Carroll.
2. Scheduling of employees
Carroll writes, “USDA/FSIS requests that all show animals are harvested first in the day or ‘A Shift’ because of increased sampling needs.”
3. Carcass data collection
Alexander explained in her webinar that show animals require more people to do tag transfer and carcass data collection, which may slow down the line.
4. Mobility of the animals
I doubt this refers to show steers that just complete a state fair and headed to the packing plant, but perhaps Alexander is referring to the club calves that are born crippled or the ones that didn’t make the cut because of their structure and mobility.
Like all beef animals, not just show animals, “They must be able to walk to the restrainer/knock box on their own or they will be condemned,” says Carroll.
5. Bruises or injection site lesions
Any time an animal requires a shot, it can leave an injection site if Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) protocols aren’t followed.
These injection site lesions require, “trimming off the damaged muscle, which means the plant loses money and increases employee’s trimming time on carcasses,” says Carroll.
Carroll explains, “Alexander outlined the United States National Residue Program of the chemicals that are tested and the process each plant is required to go through to ensure all meat is safe. Packing plants have plans to minimize the risk of presence in the meat of chemical hazards, such as drug and medication residues.
“As part of this plan, packers typically require affidavits and/or treatment records for cattle and hogs they buy from state youth projects or market animal shows. Packers typically require these documents be provided prior to arrival or with the incoming truck of animals. Several examples of these documents and the required phrases were provided in her presentation slides for viewers to see.”
So what can the parents and 4-H members do to responsibly show cattle and ensure a high-quality beef product? The answer is pretty much common sense, but it’s worth reiterating.
Carroll writes that 4-H families should, “Guarantee industry best practices through BQA programs where both parents and youth complete the training. Adhere to drug label withdrawal times carefully. Communicate with the buyer or plant if withdrawal time on any animals is missed. Understand we are all responsible for producing safe food. Be proactive and assist youth to implement best management practices that result in safe food products.”
Alexander also said in the webinar, “When Tyson receives animals from a fair and there is an issue with an animal from that group, it taints the view for that fair, not just that one individual. So everybody needs to work together and understand what’s happening in that organization and not just their animals.”
Read more of Carroll’s summation of the webinar here.
Also, check out the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Animal Care Resources for additional information on how 4-H youth can learn to responsibly manage their beef animals.
The opinions of Amanda Radke are not necessarily those of beefmagazine.com or Penton Agriculture.

WHAT IS THE "VETERINARY FEED DIRECTIVE"?
10/11/2016
...and what does this have to do with my ranch, dairy, farm, or show animals? Why are we now discussing VFD's and VFD drugs?
Beginning January 1, 2017 a certain class of livestock drugs will find their way onto the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) drug list. In 1996 Congress enacted the Animal Drug Availability Act (ADAA, Public Law 104-250) to regulate new animal drugs used in or on animal feed. These uses were limited to those allowed under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian. These drugs were termed Veterinary Feed Directive drugs or VFD drugs. Continue reading...
For additional information, click on the following links:
Read full story on the VFD here
List of distributors by state registered to sell the VFD drugs (to date)
The FDA site for the Veterinary Feed Directive
List of the drugs transitioning

Monday, August 29, 2016

The October – November - December 2016 issue of the New Mexico 4-H Leaderline newsletter is now online. To read the new issue of Leaderline, go to http://aces.nmsu.edu/4h/documents/october-november-december-2016-leaderline_online_copy.pdf .
To read past issues, go to: http://aces.nmsu.edu/4h/newsletters.html and select a newsletter.
For more information about the New Mexico 4-H Youth Development Program, including how to join, call the County Extension Office near you at http://aces.nmsu.edu/county/.

Thursday, August 11, 2016

County Agricultural/4-H Agent
1600099F New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service 310550-Admin and Prm Unit Eddy Cnty 08/04/2016
-Provide leadership, guidance and training to adults in providing opportunities for youth to participate in various 4-H delivery modes throughout the county as required. -Conduct youth programming in the areas of agriculture and natural resources. -Collaborate with youth serving community organizations and agencies to help further Extension 4-H/Youth Development programs. -Recruit, train and…